The Missing Piece Episode 1

Absolutely great!!!

Finally, a BL series I genuinely enjoy, after dropping so many others for one reason or another. The acting is good, and the chemistry between the actors is excellent. They’re also very handsome—which certainly doesn’t hurt.I like their personalities; they don’t come across as overly stereotypical or annoying, even though they follow the familiar tropes we already know.The relationship is a bit toxic, but not so much that you can’t help but ship them hard... the intimate scenes are understated but incredibly charged! That’s likely thanks to the actors and their chemistry; in any case, I prefer it this way rather than seeing everything explicitly.The sister is adorable; I’d love to have her as a best friend.

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A great start to a bittersweet love

I really liked the first 2 episodes. The acting, production, styling, and music are all good, although there are some editing/continuity issues here and there. Overall, it looks very promising, and the whole thing has this bittersweet vibe that I really like.

It’s pretty clear that Ji Ming Xuan cares about Shen Mo, from the longing way he sometimes looks at him, how he wants to be closer to him, and especially how he’s the one reaching out to hold his hand. But it’s clearly obsessive. Like in the restaurant bathroom, when he tried to push Zhou Yang away by asserting his „ownership” over Shen Mo, while simultaneously reminding Shen Mo about their contract. And behind all of this, it feels like he’s also trying to comfort himself by keeping Shen Mo close and intimate, while reinforcing to himself, Shen Mo, and Zhou Yang that he is the one who can make Shen Mo feel that way, and no one else.

At the same time, regardless of how much he cares, he’s still a jerk. He keeps pushing Shen Mo away and actually drops him on the ground after using him (or rather, making and allowing him to feel like he is using him), seemingly without caring how badly he treats him. And he seems to be isolating Shen Mo in that house/apartment while completely and selfishly dictating things about his life, like where he should have his desk, when he should take extra days off, what he should wear so he looks „presentable” and doesn’t „embarrass” him. As Shen Mo himself points out, Ji Ming Xuan is completely disregarding how all of this might make Shen Mo look to other people and leaves him alone to deal with it, despite Shen Mo repeatedly asking him to stop or at least reconsider.

And Shen Mo just seems incredibly lonely. It feels like he has given up on being understood or having much say in his own life. And having lost his ability to work in his field, to do what he truly enjoyed... His puppy dog eyes are killing me! Even when he protests Ji Ming Xuan’s demands, there’s this feeling that he doesn’t really expect anything to change. I really feel for him.

Ji Ming Xuan clearly wants Shen Mo close, but the way he goes about it is possessive, controlling, and at times feels cruel, while Shen Mo is trying to navigate whatever contract he has in place with him (I’m very curious to discover what this agreement is all about) and also trying to understand a relationship that he no longer fully remembers. For me, it’s a really promising start, and I’m looking forward to it.

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